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METALLICA, KORN, OZZY Among 2001's Top-Earning Music Stars

METALLICA, KORN, OZZY OSBOURNE, TOOL, LIMP BIZKIT, and AEROSMITH are among the artists included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of top-earning music stars last year (2001).

While admitting that calculating the earnings of famous people involves some "estimation and guesswork", the magazine said it compiled the numbers through conversations with music industry insiders, such as managers, label executives, agents, lawyers and publicists. The figures are "net" — what's left after expenses, fees and label deductions.

Here are the top money-makers in the hard rock/heavy metal genre for the year 2001 (as reported by Rolling Stone):

Says Rolling Stone: "METALLICA have one of the best record deals in the business — essentially a profit-sharing agreement with their label, Elektra. When the band threatened to leave the label at the height of its career, Elektra gave METALLICA an astounding royalty rate that amounts to nearly four dollars per album sold. That hefty rate truly pays off for a band such as METALLICA, which had four of its records appear on the Billboard catalog charts during 2001."

Says Rolling Stone: "The masters of merchandising reportedly earn $2 million a year from more than 130 character licenses around the world. The merch for 2001 included a Sterling Marlin Racer collectible car and a KISS coffin. The band also received a reported $6 million check from Mercury Records, part of which was payment for a newly-released five-disc box set that retailed for $70, or $750 for a collector's version that came in a guitar case. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley own the KISS name and control the profits. Band mates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are now salaried employees."

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